Homeschool Freebies

Let’s go back in time a little over 60 years to December of 1944.  World War II was drawing to a close, but battles still raged in the mountainous Ardennes region of Belgium.  The Axis Powers exacted a heavy toll on American and British Allied troops, with U.S. casualties during the Battle of the Bulge exceeding those of any other battle during the war.

On Christmas Eve, three American soldiers lost their way in the heavily forested area, separated from their unit as they struggled to save the life of one of their badly injured comrades.  While searching for the rest of their unit, they happened upon a small cabin in the woods.  A young German mother and her young son were living in hiding there in an effort to spare the young boy from having to join the ranks of the German army.

Although the woman, Elisabeth Vincken, knew that the penalty for harboring or assisting enemy forces was death, she took the soldiers in and offered them food and a place to warm themselves.  The three soldiers had no sooner gotten their injured man into bed to rest than there was a knock at the door.  Expecting more stray American soldiers, Elisabeth opened the door and found instead three German soldiers in need of shelter.

Elisabeth forbade the soldiers to enter her home with their weapons, saying that she had visitors.  She collected the weapons of the American soldiers as well and then welcomed the Germans into her home to share the meal and fire with them.

Tensions were high, but in honor of the spirit of Christmas, the enemies were convinced to put aside their ill will for one night to celebrate the birth of Christ and the love he had for all men regardless of their nationality.

So goes the fact-based movie, Silent Night .  Linda Hamilton plays Elisabeth convincingly and she does a fine job in her role as the kind-hearted woman who cared more about humanity than the consequences that could befall her for aiding the enemy.  Silent Night warms the heart and gives me hope in a way that few movies ever have.  Each character goes beyond the necessary in an effort to follow in this brave woman’s lead and put aside their differences to celebrate what may be their last Christmas.  In the face of almost certain death, Elisabeth and her son gave without censure and inspired the soldiers—men who would be forced to kill each other if they met again—to share in the peace and benevolence that gives us cause to celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Silent Night is available on Netflix (sadly, not for instant access) as well as being available through Amazon for sale as well as for sale and rental from Amazon in the UK .  Not only can your family enjoy a family-friendly holiday movie together, but also, because this is a true story (the movie is based almost entirely on true events) you can get a great history lesson in that is, in my personal opinion, even more touching than that of the events of the unofficial Christmas truce of 1914 .

Get the movie if you can!  If you’re unable to do so this year, keep it in mind for the holiday season next year.  This should become a holiday favorite for all families.  Even President Reagan, who was deeply moved by the story, said of it during his 1985 visit to Germany that the story “needs to be told and retold because none of us can ever hear too much about building peace and benevolence.”

I hope that you can get your hands on a copy of this and enjoy it with your family!